zero rated

When Ajit Pai, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), announced his plan to reverse the net neutrality rules adopted under the leadership of former Chair Tom Wheeler, it was generally met with positive reactions from the wireless industry. But according to a recent report by FierceWireless, industry leaders Verizon Wireless and AT&T could stand to gain the most, especially now that the wireless and digital media markets are starting to overlap.

The number one mobile operator in all of America has opted to extend its zero rated mobile video to subscribers of its web and TV services. According to Verizon Wireless’ announcement made just this week, customers can now view both live and recorded video content without having to worry about affecting their data allowances by way of the Big Red’s Fios mobile app. This latest expansion also covers on the go viewing of over 140 live channels, recorded DVR programs, and thousands of on-demand content.

According to Randall Stephenson, the chairman and chief executive officer of AT&T, the initial demand for its newly launched DirecTV Now offering has been dramatic so far (despite a few issues). Stephenson went on to reveal that the second biggest wireless carrier in the United States has already managed to reach its December goal for the number of new subscribers to DirecTV Now, right on the day the service officially went live.

AT&T has officially launched its new DirecTV Now service. This latest offering from the second biggest wireless carrier in the United States offers a total of four programming tiers starting at $35 a month which already delivers 60 channels. Apart from setting up a new revenue stream for itself, the mobile operator is clearly looking to further expand its current wireless customer base by bringing them zero rated video content (delivered by way of DirecTV Now) by allowing its subscribers to view videos, shows, and other programs on smartphones, tablets, and other connected devices without ever having to worry about their data allowances getting affected.

AT&T held a high profile event recently in order to formally introduce DirecTV Now, which will be going live on Wednesday November 30th with a price of $35 a month for access to 60 channels. The DirecTV Now service will be made available to view on a wide range of connected devices and platforms, most especially mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

The Big Red has just unveiled a new service that should delight sports fans who love to watch their favorite sports via their mobile devices. Here comes Stream Pass -- Verizon Wireless’ new live sports streaming feature that will not affect the user’s monthly data allotments. This new feature is currently rolling out to all Verizon subscribers that use its Go90 mobile streaming app.

FreedomPop, the United States based mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) basically known for offering free voice call and data services, is now offering zero rated data from instant mobile messaging platform WhatsApp. This means that mobile users in the US can now send text messages, videos, and other content without ever worrying about facing data fees.

Here we go again. T-Mobile’s Binge On feature has once again found itself the target of a particular group criticizing its service. According to a team of researchers from the Northeastern University from Boston, Massachusetts, not only does the Binge On service break net neutrality rules set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it also apparently delivers video content of inferior quality compared to what T-Mobile has promised. Moreover, the researchers state that Binge On at times charges mobile users for viewing video content from providers who are part of the program in spite of terms and conditions of the service.

Tech companies in favor of net neutrality rules are asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make its position known to the public with regards to zero rating services that are potentially in violation of said rules. More than 50 firms, including familiar names such as Pinterest, Kickstarter, Foursquare and Yelp, have sent a letter to the FCC, effectively requesting the agency to be more open about its review of wireless streaming freebies currently being offered by a number of providers.

This should be welcome news for fans of the beautiful game -- Sprint has announced that it will let its subscribers watch every live match of the upcoming Copa America in June of this year through their mobile devices without having to worry about their data allowances getting affected. This marks the first time that the fourth biggest wireless carrier in the United States is offering a zero rated data deal.

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